UPDATE: 200 Horses Seized By Houston SPCA

For most of the horses seized, things are looking up. Amanda Uechi Ronan catches us up on the “Conroe 200.”

We first brought you the story of 200 horses being rescued from Calico Dairy last July. Now we are pleased to report most of the horses are already moving on to bigger and better things.

Partnering with the Harmony Equine Center in Franktown, Colorado and the Longmeadow Rescue Ranch in Union, Missouri, the Houston SPCA has shipped 60 horses to Colorado.

“Houston did an amazing job with them to start and so we are just continuing the progress they made,” said Megan Rees, spokesperson for the Harmony Equine Center, told the Houston Chronicle. “A lot of the horses are still very thin, emaciated,” but she said, “they seem to be in reasonable health.” Nearly all of the horses suffered from a wide range of health problems, including emaciation, abscesses, open wounds, and overgrown hooves.

A handful of the animals remaining in Houston will be showcased on November 21st.

“We’re going to show this herd that came from this cruelty case (and) what a difference these horses can have with some love and attention and what a turnaround that can be,” said Brian Latham, director of communications and marketing for the Houston SPCA told the Houston Chronicle. “Some people think these horses coming from a shelter aren’t as trainable as a horse they get from another location. We want to show that these horses are really great horses and look at the potential.”

Selected trainers will be randomly matched with one of the Conroe 200 on September 11 and have seven weeks to prepare the horse for an exciting judged Freestyle Equestrian Event on November 21. The Challenge is designed to show the public the versatility and trainability of these beautiful horses. The competition will be followed by an adoption event.

“The day everyone has been waiting for is finally almost here! The first horse from the Conroe 200 is just about ready to find his forever home! Commander is what we lovingly call a gentle giant. He is very tall and stately, but he is easy to handle and incredibly sweet. We don’t know if he’s had any training but he is such a willing horse that we think he has a very bright future! In order to adopt Commander or any of our wonderful farm animals, you must be pre-approved for adoption.” Houston SPCA Facebook

Unfortunately, not every horse had a happy ending. Three weeks after the animals were seized, four were euthanized. The owners, Herman and Kathleen Hoffman, still deny any wrongdoing. They have filed an appeal.

Go Riding.